BASICS

CREATE

MONEY

INFO

Web Domain Search Strategies

Before starting a web domain search, be sure to review the information on how to pick a great domain name. This will give you the background information you need to find a website name that's easy to promote and has built-in search engine value. Once you grasp that concept, the simple tools below can help you find the best available website names for your site.

Starting your research

Begin by writing down the main concept keywords for your website, as well as any benefits that visitors might get from your website. If you have a physical business, write down your business name as well.

Now you can begin your search for possible domain names. To do this, you can use the Search It tool. This tool utilizes a pop-up, so be sure to allow pop-ups from www.sitesell.com and searchit.sitesell.com if you are not taken to the search tool (find out how to disable popup blocker utilities). Now that you can use the Search It tool, follow these steps to begin your web domain search:

When you click on "Click Here to See Your Results", it will take you to Domain Tools, which lists results for possible domain names that contain your keywords. Domain Tools usually returns more than one page of possible domain names, so be sure to check all of the pages for possible domain names.

Look for domain names with the .com extension

If the domain name has an open circle by it, it signifies that it is available. Concentrate your web domain search on the available domain names that have the .com or the .net extensions, which are the most common.

Another point to consider is that the Internet Explorer browser automatically inserts .com at the end when someone types in a website name into the address bar without putting an extension on it.

It would be a shame to send visitors to your competition just because they registered their domain with the .com extension and you didn't.

You can also search for domain names that don't have hyphens by clicking on the "advanced search" option at the top of the Domain Tools page. Make sure that you check the "only show domains without hyphens" option at the top.

Use your most important keywords when doing your web domain search. Make a list of the domain names that seem to have good potential. Remember, they should be short, easy to spell, and describe the benefits of your site.

What If The Perfect Domain Name Is Already Taken?

You'll probably find that the perfect descriptive domain name for your website is already taken. This is where you can get inventive with your web domain search. Here are some options to consider:

Consider using hyphens between the individual words.

Begin your domain name with the word "the", "all", "best", 1st, etc.

End your domain name with "source", "resources", "store", "info", etc.

Now you need to take your list of possible domain names and see if they are available to be registered. You can use Search It to do this, by following these steps:

Under Step 1 - choose Domain Names from the drop-down menu.

Under Step 2 - choose Check Domain Availability from the drop-down.

Under Step 3 - type in your first possible domain name (along with the .com, .net, .biz, etc extension)

Click on the Search It button

When the page loads, click on the link at the bottom that reads "Please click here to see your search results". This will take you to the BetterWhois.com website, which will tell you whether your possible domain names are available or not. You can continue to research the availability of your other domain names by scrolling down and typing them into the search box at the bottom of the BetterWhois page.

After going through all the research for finding domain names and checking their availability, you now have a list of potential domain names. Take your list of domain names and rank them according to how well they fit your site concept.

At this point, you probably have one specific domain name that seems perfect for your site. Before you register that name, give yourself at least one day to think it over.

Take your list of potential domain names and ask your friends or family what they think about them. Can they tell from the name what your website is about? Is the name short, simple, and easy to spell?

Sleep on it and see if you still feel as strongly about your domain name in the morning. If you do, then you can take the next step in getting your domain name.

Congratulations, you've completed the lesson on web domain search strategies! If you'd like to review the information one more time, click Web Domain Search to return to the top of the page.

In our next lesson we will go over what you need to consider when choosing your domain name extension.